Mateusz Urbanowicz is the artist behind this awesome ‘Tokyo Storefront’ illustration series. Each piece is created on HOLBEIN Waterford white 300g/m cotton paper, sketched using a COPIC Multiliner SP O.7mm and finally painted with a Winsor and Newton watercolor set. Below, you will find each finished piece followed by a video of its process, it is not often that an artist publishes a process video for every piece in a series so this is a real treat!
When I moved to Tokyo, more than 3 years ago I was really surprised that upon my walks I encountered so many shops still in business in really old buildings. Differently to Kobe, where the earthquake wiped out a lot of these old downtown houses and shops, in Tokyo they still survive. I chose the best reference pictures from the ones I took during my explorations and decided to make an illustration series of old Tokyo storefronts.
Yamane meat shop from Nippori district
Tsuruya (former) tailors, now retro variety shop from Jinbōchō district
Kobayashi hair salon from Sanbanchyo district
Chinese food restaurant from around the Takadanobaba district
Miyake bicycle shop based on shops from Kagurazaka and Kichijyouji
Isetatsu traditional color woodblock print store from Yanaka district
Ootoya meat shop from Koujimachi district
Nakashimaya Japanese sake shop from Mejiro district
Kitchen Kuku restaurant from Kichijyouji district
Noike sushi restaurant from Yanaka district
Via: Mateusz Urbanowicz
